Red Bull on Tuesday lost their appeal over Daniel Ricciardo's disqualification from second place in last month's Australian Grand Prix.

The world champions had sought to overturn the stripping of Ricciardo's runner-up finish behind Nico Rosberg in Melbourne for breaching fuel flow regulations.

FIA's International Court of Appeal issued a ruling ­after a six-hour hearing on Monday during which Mercedes had called for the punishment to be harsher.

Red Bull said they "accepted the decision" but were "disappointed" with the outcome which left their rookie Australian driver 10th in the championship with 12 points, 49 behind Mercedes' pacesetter Rosberg ahead of Sunday's Chinese Grand Prix.

Red Bull are fourth in the constructors' standings on 35 points with Mercedes leading on 111.

The ruling is a blow to Red Bull's hopes of retaining their world titles as a reinstatement would have been worth 18 points which would have lifted Ricciardo into third in the ­drivers' race and his team into second in the constructors' standings.

Red Bull were found guilty of using more than the 100-­kilogram fuel limit every hour in Melbourne and also of ignoring repeated FIA advice during the race to limit their fuel consumption.

Ricciardo, 24, has had a roller coaster start to his debut season. In Malaysia he drove off with a loose wheel after a pit stop, and in Bahrain he succeeded in taking fourth despite starting from 13th, outshining his teammate Vettel.